Headshot Session: Bennett Garcia

Sometimes a sitting turns into something different than a straight headshot session. On the day I shot Bennett Garcia, I sensed a more quiet and introspective person than the contractor we have hired to do some construction on our property in Gloucester City, New Jersey.

This photo has very different lighting than most of the studio type images I have taken. Bennett was sitting in a room facing a large window with diffusion material on it. The window acted as my general exposure and fill light. On my right hand side I used a Godox strip box for the main light with and attached grid to narrow the direction of light that was dialed in at one stop higher than the ambient light.

After doing some of headshots and just before we were to attempt some 3/4 length portraits, I asked him to close his eyes and turn his head toward the strip box. The resulting photo was one that captured a peaceful and serene man of great faith.

Headshot Session: Bob Booth

Bob Booth is one of the movers and shakers of Gloucester City, New Jersey business community. He owns a travel agency and is also my next door neighbor. He has been a great help to my wife and I as we slowly develop our property and move in the community.

He has told me there have been requests for a photo of him for and number of business applications. So, recently he came in and we spent about an hour together to have his headshot done. And as usual, it was a fun session where we got to talk, laugh and get some great photos.

My favorite is the one above and I think it exemplifies he friendliness and approachability. The photo is a three light setup, a Paul C Buff soft box main light to the viewers left, a Paul C Buff soft box fill fill light to our right and a Godox strip box kicker light in the back and to our right. The result is an image using broad lighting that brings out the best, friendly features of Bob.

Bring Success to Your New Headshots

Stand Out With These tips

Today’s business markets almost demands that you have a headshot for your Linkedin and other social media pages. Often this success depends as much on the subject as it does the photographer’s techniques and workflow. Here are some of the things you can do as a subject to stand out from the crowd and make your headshots shine.

Clothing Selection

The best clothing to wear is clothing you are comfortable in. Avoid bright colors and patterns that will distract the viewer from your face. Dark and muted is generally the best, but formality can be projected with the sitter in a business suit and white shirt. The best idea is to bring several different items that you and the photographer can decide on together.

Background

It is important for the background not to be seen. By that I mean that it has to be unobtrusive and not compete with the face or clothing of the subject. Often a professional headshot will be photographed against a dark grey, medium grey or white background. This helps the sitter to stand out and become the focus of the the photograph. Color backgrounds have been used, but the photographer needs be careful not to make the final product look like your third grade grammar school photo.

Lighting

One of the most powerful tools in the photographer arsenal is his command of lighting techniques. This is no one lighting setup that will make everyone look good. Stronger lighting ratios (large bright to dark differences) can be used to project strength. Sometimes they can look intimidating and less approachable. Lighting that is too soft may look lackluster and unintresting. For those of us that have a “best” side, overly soft lighting may not be for you. Once a I get you under the lights, my decisions on lighting and posing will  get you the great results you need.

Conveying Your Personality

Photographing people is a collaboration between you and the photographer. I watch your body language before and during the shoot to find your comfort zone. I try to create natural and relax expressions with proper posture and most importantly, eye contact with the camera. Eye contact will make you look friendly, confident and connected, without eye contact you look aloof and disinterested in your audience.

Hair and Makeup

Neatness counts! Men should have their hair, eyebrows and beards neatly trimmed. Stray facial hairs do show, especially with today’s high resolution cameras. The best advice is to not get a haircut the day of the shoot (5-7days before is perfect), but shave as close to the session as possible.

Women should have their hair styled as close to the appointment as possible. I would also  recommend some makeup. A full-coverage foundation will smooth out the skin and hide most imperfections. I do retouching, but only the zits and little blemishes, I never alter any permanent physical detail of the face.

Plenty of rest the night before can make a world of difference on how you project to the camera. An unrested face might show stress, tiredness and a lack of expression no matter how hard the sitter tries.

Enjoy the Experience

Relax and have fun during the photoshoot. When you come in ready to go with a positive attitude the photographer will respond in kind by getting expressions that are natural and genuine. After all, photographers love having people in front of their cameras. Just enjoy the experience and trust the photographer.

Choosing the Right Photographer

There are so many of us so it is important to find a photographer with experience in headshots and portraiture. Look at their websites, drop them an email, give them a call and find out how they can help you. Once you decide you now have some guidelines that will help you bring success to your headshot session.

At John Craig Photography, I specialize in headshots and portraits and have been at it for almost 50 years. I love having people in my studio and I hope you can come over and pay us a visit soon. I am located at 112 North Broadway, Gloucester City, New Jersey 08030

www.JohnCraigPhotography.com

856.271.8093

Those Portraits Are Like Eternal Dreams

Why Do We Create Portraits

Portraits of objects such as cars, tires, food and thousands of other items are often called commercial photography. And although they may be images that bombard us in ads on TV, magazines and the internet, they are portraits of objects. But the images we really think about when we talk about portraits are usually the pictures of family and friends, the people we know, the people we love.

Those Special Moments

We often take photos of ourselves and family at important moments in our lives. The special birthday celebration, the once in a lifetime trip, the holiday gathering. All of these are to remember. These images provide a history of family and friends, they get saved and looked at, often for years and years to come. With photography now being somewhere between 150 and 200 years old, photographs provide a connection to the past. We see distant relatives and long lost friends in those special moments. We hear the stories from those that are still present, or the stories that have been passed on through the filters of friends, relatives and generations.

Photos Are Like An Eternal Dream

Holding photos in your hands, even ones that were recently taken, is almost like having a waking dream. The portrait has the potential of telling many stories. That image of you and your family on that great trip has at least as many stories as the number of people in the photo. As the stories get told they overlap, overlay, modify and change to a better story about the same shared experience.

Before-Our-Time

Photographs “before our time” are often fascinating to look at. I’ve seen photos of my grandparents vacationing in Lavallette, New Jersey as early as the late 1930’s. Having spent many summers there, I am very familiar with present day Lavallette. Looking at some of those photographs, there are vague visual reminders of the town from that earlier period that exist today. Those black and white images, often torn, stained, and faded with age creates a dream like view of the past.

Long gone grandparents in their prime, distant family that have long been forgotten, and their friends that will go forever unidentified all populate these photos. All of them told stories about these days on the beach. All of them had their stories overlap, overlay, modify and change to a better story. Now, like the people in the photos, those stories are all gone.

What’s left to us is the remembrance of the people we’ve known and the people we’ve loved. These portraits become vessels of told and untold stories, they become our memories, they become our personal eternal dreams.

Why You Need A Professional Headshot

Recently I saw a few headshots that were taken by the family and friends of an actor/artist. Although you could see the face, the image were expressionless and unremarkable in tone and color. It commanded no visual interest and wold be hard pressed to get attention and stand out from the crowd. There are several compelling reasons to get a headshot taken by a professional photographer. Here are some of the key advantages:

Professionalism and First Impressions:
A high-quality headshot conveys professionalism and can make a strong first impression. Whether you're an aspiring actor, a job seeker, a business professional, or an entrepreneur, having a polished headshot can enhance your credibility and help you stand out from the competition.

Personal Branding:
A headshot is an essential element of personal branding. It represents you and your unique identity, allowing others to get a glimpse of your personality and character. A professional photographer can capture your essence and help you create a consistent and memorable brand image across various platforms, such as LinkedIn, social media, websites, and promotional materials.

Versatility and Usage:
A professional headshot can be used in a wide range of professional contexts. It can be included in your resume, used for job applications, displayed on your business website, featured in marketing materials, and utilized for speaking engagements or conference profiles. Having a versatile headshot that suits different purposes is invaluable.

Quality and Technical Expertise:
Professional photographers possess the technical skills and artistic vision necessary to capture a headshot that stands out. They have the knowledge of lighting, composition, and posing techniques to create flattering and visually appealing images. Their expertise ensures that your headshot reflects your best qualities and presents you in the most favorable light.

Attention to Detail:
Professional photographers pay close attention to every detail during a headshot session. They will consider factors such as lighting, background, wardrobe, and overall aesthetics to create a cohesive and impactful image. Their guidance and attention to detail can elevate your headshot and ensure that it aligns with your goals and intentions.

Confidence and Comfort:
Working with a professional photographer can help you feel at ease and confident during the photoshoot. They are experienced in guiding and directing their subjects to achieve the desired results. A professional photographer can help you relax, bring out your natural expressions, and capture your genuine personality, resulting in a headshot that exudes confidence and approachability.

Image Quality and Post-Production:
Professional photographers use high-end equipment and editing software to produce images of superior quality. They have the expertise to enhance and retouch your headshot if necessary, ensuring that the final result is flawless and visually striking. Professional editing can help correct minor imperfections, adjust lighting, and optimize the overall visual impact.

What Should I Wear For My Headshot?

What should I wear for my headshot? That's probably the most asked question when someone makes an appointment to be photographed. The answer is of course, it depends. If you are a business person you might want to consider a dark jacket with a shirt or blouse that is muted in color. If you're an actor or model you might want to wear a dark long sleeve t-shirt.

From the photographers point of view, anything that takes away from the face weakens your presence in the photograph. This means no wild patterns, no loud colors and little to none when it comes to jewelry. When I think about photographs of the people I know and love my one question for them is; "what are you going to say about this photo 25 years from now?" Modern, cool styles today could look outdated and silly in a year, let alone 25 years from now. Classic will always last. There may be thinner or thicker ties, there may be larger or smaller lapels, but in general you will probably look back and think that John Craig took a pretty good picture of me.

When you come to me for a photography, let me help. The last thing I want you to do in the future is say "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

If you are in the market for a headshot or portrait, please do not hesitate to contact me and arrange for a sitting at your earliest convenience

Spring Roses

There are times I want to photograph something just because it’s beautiful. No other reason except it’s beautiful. 

Recently a bouquet of roses were given to us by some close friends that were picked from their garden. The flowers colors were rich and their scent filled the room with the promise of spring. I could not resist photographing these exquisite specimens.

The Set-up

I placed the vase of flowers on a table on top of a black cloth. About three feet behind the flowers was a medium gray background. I then placed my Canon 6D in a position so the horizon line of the table would not be cutting the horizontal picture plane in half. I then placed two white reflectors just out of camera range, one to the right of the flowers and one underneath the vase. The final step was to place my Paul C. Buff White Lighting 800 strobe about 26 inches away fro the flowers and feather the light toward the reflector between the camera and the subject. 

Camera Settings

The correct exposure was determined through exposure testing using the histogram as my guide. Finally the Canon 6D was set to ISO 100, f/6.6, with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. 

Exposures

Now that I was set I started the process of making exposures. The image consists of five exposures. The first was head-on, the second rotated about 1/2 inch counter clockwise, the third 1 inch clockwise, the fourth 11/2 inch counter clockwise and the last 1/12 inches clockwise. By rotating in one direction and then in the opposite I was able to keep the balance of the image. If I had kept turning the image in one direction, some of the more delicate details probably would have been lost. 

Processing The Final Image

The images were brought into Photoshop through Adobe Bridge. I always use bridge for my work because it will allow you the Raw file adjustments AND it imports the images into Photoshop as 16 bit images (make sure your Photoshop is set for 16 bit; Image - Mode - 16 bits/Channel).

Adobe Bridge can also bring your group of images in as layers (Tools - Photoshop - Load Files into Photoshop Layers). Once the images were brought in as layers I kept the base layer as normal and the upper four layers were changed to Soft Light Blending Mode. All that was left to do was to add a curves adjustment layer for a bit more contrast, then a levels adjustment layer for final tonal and printing corrections. 

Is Black and White Photography Dead?

No, It’s Alive and Well

Black and White photography is alive and well. And there are reasons why would an artist would choose black and white (monochrome) photography over color. In the days of film only, black and white could be processed faster, printed faster and reproduced easier than color images. In today’s world none of that makes any difference. Today’s color printing is as easy as hitting the print command on your computer. 

Why Shoot Balck and White?

So why black and white? First of all, the black and white image immediately becomes more abstract. Lines, shapes and tone dominate the image instead of the bright colors that tend to attract the eye in a color photo. Secondly and most importantly, you can “push” the manipulations of the black and white tonal range much further than you can stretch the color. The monochrome image may get more abstract or moody by becoming darker, lighter, or more tonally compressed, but never unrealistic, garish and harsh as a color image gets when it is digitally over-processed. Finally, by producing black and white images, the artist is following in the footsteps of some of the greatest photographic masters - Adams, Weston and Penn just to name a (very) few.

The Tools of the Digital Darkroom

The tools provided by Photoshop are in many cases the same as you would use in the traditional darkroom. Burning, dodging, flashing and contrast control are just a few of the basic manipulations available. Photoshop also has advanced controls such as curves, layers, masking and levels that were either extremely difficult or outright impossible to use in the traditional darkroom. Black and white photography is alive and well and with today’s digital darkroom the monochromatic image is more powerful than ever.

Contact John Craig

Passing Through

As I pass through the landscape I don’t remember all the little details of what I have seen or experienced. I don’t remember the exact spot I was in when I took this photo, but I do recall watching as the mountains met the clouds. I don’t remember my exact thoughts, but I do recall the vastness of the landscape. For me, this image transcends that instant I pressed the shutter release, it reminds me of the experience I had the day I visited White Sands.

White Sands Perceptions Box Set

Waves of Sand, White Sands National Park

Have you ever heard of Lavallette? It’s a small little beach town about one square mile in size and located on a small barrier island of the central/southern coast of New Jersey. My grandparents had summered there for years before they bought two bungalows on Vance Avenue in 1964. At first my siblings, parents and grandparents went “down the shore” for about two weeks around the Fourth of July holiday and another two weeks before the Labor Day weekend. Then, after a few years my grandmother decided she wanted to be there all summer long and I was lucky, I got to go along. That started just before I became a teenager and ended in my late teens.

My first job was at the Lavallette Theater. The building had no air conditioning, the movies and pay were terrible and I don’t think there was ever a full house. But at 16 or 17 years old, who needs money when you get to stay on the beach all day. I spent most of the days with friends, swimming, body surfing and checking out the girls, it was a pretty good life. More than 30 years later I did a project that focused on the very beach in Lavallette where I spent my summers. When taking a photographic eye to the location I noticed things that I had forgotten, or maybe never noticed before. It wasn’t just the new protective grasses and dunes, the painted street signs, or the upgraded boardwalk, it was the ocean itself. I was more aware of the the sounds of the waves and the way they surged on and retreated from the shore line. I watched the waves as they frequently pounded on the surfs edge and occasionally crept up on the beach like a soft breeze.

Often during rough seas large waves would regularly break a couple of hundred yards out from the beach and the churning white surf would kick up seaweed and sand from the bottom. If I close my eyes I can easily imagine the similarity of those large Atlantic waves to the dunes of White Sands National Park. The white of the swirling waves, the regularity of wave pattern, the textures and colors of the churn as the waves move to its final rumble with the beach make the White Sands dunes feel very familiar.

I miss Lavallette and the Atlantic Ocean, but to be able to regularly wander the spectacular White Sands with my camera is a chance few people get to experience.
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Limited addition prints and a box set can be found HERE

From Out of the Dunes

Since living here in New Mexico for the last couple of years, I have found the Yucca to be fascinating because of its human like form. This one seemed to be coming from out of the dunes as dawn broke at White Sands National Park one morning. It was barley visible when I first started to photograph that day, but as the light spread across the dunes and revealed its size, it seemed to get closer to me. I felt the need to introduce myself and take a portrait of him before I lost the beautiful soft light and the dark sky background.

Limited addition prints and a box set can be found HERE

Jesse Kruis - Native New Mexican

Jesse Kruis was the last piece of the puzzle for our kitchen renovation. He came in early one Tuesday morning to make the connections to the new sink and to hook up the new gas fire place.

He agreed to be photographed and soon after his work was done, he was standing in front of my camera. He had already filled out the sheet that told us who he was, but how much of that would transfer to the portrait? How would he define himself?

Looking at the portrait, I first look at the uniform. He is wearing a company issued shirt with his name and the logo on it that identifies him as a member. Next, we look at what he is holding, a pipe wrench, a tool that may be synonymous with plumbers. But the tool isn’t all that important in these images, instead I would again focus on the  hands. We can clearly see that like our chimney sweeps, Jesse’s hands have been used the hard work of a plumber. 

So what does this portrait tell us? Jesse is a plumber, works hard with his hands and is as friendly and comfortable with people as this portrait suggests. How does Jesse define himself?

Brother
Husband
Student
Son
New Mexican

hese are all things we don’t see in the portrait.

There is one more thing revealed in his drawing of the Zuni sun rising over the Organ Mountains that the portrait, uniform or his self defined list doesn’t tell us. The drawing identifies his place, not only as a New Mexican, but more specifically, a native of Las Cruces. 

So, It’s a Portrait; what else can you tell me?

“A person is a collage of people warring to become a portrait.” 
Jenim Dibie

Why do people have their portraits taken? There are hundreds, if not thousand of reasons to permanently record a person in a particular moment in time. High school graduations, weddings, birthdays, history, for love - or remembrance.

Although every face is unique, when taking a portrait of a tightly cropped headshot, or a full length glamor shot the basics of portrait photography are always the same. So what is behind a photographers thinking when someone comes in to have their portrait done?

Often there are commercial reasons. A portrait and/or wedding studio charges money for their specialization in professional portraits. Sometimes a photographer finds a beautiful face, or a face rich in character that they need to capture. Most often these images do not reveal anything new about the person, instead they only reinforce our already preconceived assumptions. 

Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh

One of the best examples of this is the Yousuf Karsh (b.1908 - d. 2002)“Bulldog” photograph of Winston Churchill. Karsh, one of the masters of 20th Century photography, asked Churchill to remove the cigar from his mouth. After refusing the request several times, Karsh walked up to Churchill and removed it for him. Infuriated by this action, Churchill scowled at the camera as Karsh took the picture. 

Although most of the people in the world didn’t personally know Churchill, most had the impression that he was tough, no-nonsense, impatient, grumpy and most of all, serious. After all, he was the guy that stood up to fascism at a time England and the world needed it most.

What Did The Churchill Portrait Tell Us?

But what does the picture tell us beyond that serious facade? Does it tell us how many years he spent in government, or that he was an artist that painted for almost his entire life? Does it tell us if he was married (he was), or how many children he had (4). Did he ride bikes, play chess, fish, or do any other millions of things that he or any other human may do during their lifetime. From this photo, we can’t tell, yet we know there is far more to him than this photograph tells us. 

Do Portraits Fall Short In Capturing the “Essence” of a Person?

And that’s where portraits in any medium fall short in capturing “the essence” of a person. The combination of expression, uniform, background, framing, lighting and medium can all point toward a realness, but not the complete realness. A persona can be captured in 1/60th of a second, but not the person. Essence may only be the viewers projection of the known qualities when successfully captured in the photograph.

The “Bulldog” persona that developed during war was only a small part of Churchill the person. The collage of Churchill was much more complicated, as it is with all of us.

The Chimney Sweeps

The Project

The uniform is often a signifier of how we want people to perceive us. What we wear is often just a public persona of a greater personality. In my new ongoing series I use portraiture to connect the persona with the person. 

In this series the term “uniform”is explored as a contronym. I photograph my subjects in their uniform, thereby identifying themselves as an individual of an organization or cultural group. The next step is to ask them to list who they are. The list deconstructs the uniform narrative and exposes the common bonds between us, blurring the lines between our public personas and revealing the uniformity of the human experience. 

My First Subjects

My first subjects in the project were a two men that came to my house to clean my chimney. Ricardo and Cristhian Hernandez were unlike the chimney sweeps in the movie Mary Poppins, they were not dressed in all black or top hats nor did they do any singing and dancing on our roof, Their uniforms were hoodies and jeans, no different than the way most of us hang out and many of us do our work. 

The Clues

Without the obvious dress clues, how do we determine what they are. The wire brushes each of the men hold tell us they are scrubbing something, something big. These brushes are used in the chimney to loosen the dirt and soot. In this case it’s not the dress or the tools the men use that identify what they do, instead it’s the hands that give it away. Some of the soot that is loosen and cleaned out of the chimney ends up in the cracks and lines of their hands revealing the dirty work and hard job they do.

Who Are They?

But these images are only telling us the what, not who. Although Ricardo did not reveal anything else about himself, he seemed friendly and cooperative to sit for my art project. Cristhian divulges a bit more about himself, he writes:

Cristhian Hernandez
Son
Brother
Likes Soccer
Cleans Chimenys
Cleans Dryer Vents

The Reward

The tools and the soot may be signifiers of what they do, but not who they are. Instead of being “the chimney guys”, I got a chance to meet them and find out a little more about them.

I feel rewarded for my effort.